Orange Of The Year

Today Time Magazine announced their 2010 Man Of The Year. It’s Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, because Facebook is the most important thing in the world now. (Unrelated: please become a fan of Cuse Country on Facebook by clicking the “Like” button on the right.) Like most things I hear about on the news, I immediately started to think about how it might be connected to Syracuse athletics. Thus:

Delone Carter
Ran for a career-high 1035 yards, despite missing most of the final game with an injury. Was the definition of “workhorse”, and achieved a 5.1 ypc average even with opposing defenses gearing up to stop the run, thanks to the shaky SU passing attack. Also: never fumbled. EVER.

Chris Daniello
The most prolific member of the three-headed offensive beast that dominated the lacrosse world in 2010 (along with Cody Jamieson and Stephen Keogh). Daniello tallied 28 goals (2nd on the team) and 25 assists (by far the team leader — almost twice as many as the next man) as SU went 16-1 in the regular season and earned the #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. I can’t seem to remember what happened next… selective amnesia I guess.

Pat Dupont
The junior stalwart paced the SU men’s cross-country team to their second consecutive Big East championship, a first-place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regionals, and a 14th place overall finish in the NCAA national meet. Dupont was the men’s best runner at all three of their postseason appearances, and made the All-American list by finishing in the top 35 at nationals.

Wesley Johnson
The one-year wonder lived up to the hype and then some, proving to be the missing ingredient that the Orange basketball team needed to achieve an elite season. Far more than just a long-range bomber, his athleticism on the baseline of the zone helped turn the Orange defense into an impenetrable maze of pain for opponents. Plus he rebounded the ball like it was his job. And played for six weeks with a swollen shooting hand. He ended his phenomenal season by becoming the #4 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Martina Loncarica
The dynamic junior was the leading goal scorer and second in assists for the SU Field Hockey team this season. The team won the Big East regular season title (going undefeated in-conference) and the Big East Tournament, and rose as high as #4 in the rankings. 7 of Loncarica’s 11 goals were game-winners, and she was named a first team All-American.

Doug Marrone
The no-nonsense, orange-blooded head football coach guided the team to their first winning record in nine years, and their first bowl berth in six, far earlier than most fans expected. Even more impressive: he has been so good at his job that we’ve all stopped picking on Daryl Gross.

Andy Rautins
The heart and soul of an SU basketball team that reached a #1 ranking, won the Big East regular season title, earned a #1 seed in the NCAAs and would probably have made the Final Four if not for Greg “Agent of Satan” Monroe injuring Arinze Onuaku.

Those are our nominees for 2010 Orange Of The Year. Record your vote below, and if you think someone else ought to have been nominated, please let us hear about it in the comments. Voting will close on 12/22 and we will announce the winner shortly thereafter. The winner will receive an as-yet-undetermined prize of immeasurable value.